Chief Inspector Dave Pearson, head of the Divisional Intelligence Unit at St Leonards Police Station, said: "These offenders have been picked out using the Scottish Intelligence Database, community intelligence on the ground, calls to Crimestoppers and various other sources.

"Next we prepared target profiles by looking at each person, where they live, their modus operandi, the type of victims they choose, the areas where they commit offences - everything.

"We also looked at their criminal record and any cases which are upcoming. We want to know how active they are. Then they can be targeted through surveillance and other methods to make it a priority that, when they offend again, they will be brought to court as soon as possible. It's very simple but very effective."

Operation Arrow is being spearheaded by the Divisional Intelligence Unit, with six analysts and three researchers assigned to keep track of Edinburgh's most violent people.

A further 12 local intelligence officers are based at various stations throughout the city and tasked with pulling together information for analysis.

The team used the national intelligence model to guide their efforts - a code of best practice drawn up by the National Criminal Intelligence Service.

Between April and September, police recorded an 11 per cent rise in serious assaults, with 189 compared to 169 for the same period last year. Across the Lothian and Borders force area, the number of assault and robberies rose slightly during the same period, from 337 to 342.

Chief Insp Pearson added: "A small number of individuals in Edinburgh commit a disproportionately large number of crimes. They are more than 40 or 50 offenders in the city but these are prolific cases. If we can take them out then that can have a massive knock-on effect in reducing the number of victims who suffer. That is the purpose of this intelligence-driven approach."

He said: "I think the police should publish the names and pictures of these people so the community know who they are. Then the community can work with the police to tackle them.

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